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Prancing horses and sweeping hands: the history of the Ferrari watch

A timeline of Ferrari watches

When one speaks of a Ferrari watch, it could actually mean one of three things. First, gift watches commissioned by il Commendatore, Enzo Ferrari, himself.

Second, mass-luxury (read “moderately priced”) private-label pieces like those Movado is about to launch next year, which Longines, Ferrari Formula by Cartier and others have produced in the past. Typically, these widely available watches only had the Prancing Horse logo on the dial and were not co-branded with the watch company, Longines being an exception.

And finally, there are the four fine-watchmaking firms that have gone on to become Ferrari's true haute horology partners: Girard-Perregaux (1994 to 2004), Panerai (2005 to 2010), Cabestan (2010) and Hublot (present). Nearly a year ago, Hublot was named the official timekeeper and watchmaker of both Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari, as well as the official timekeeper of the Ferrari Challenge.

According to noted Ferrari watch collector Sergio Cassano, the saga of Ferrari watches all started in the 1950s, when, “only ever ordering six watches at a time . . . [Enzo] Ferrari purchased [watches to be given as gifts] almost exclusively from the Bolognese jeweler Gerardo Veronesi.” Cassano said most of the early commissions were produced by Super Royal. Other examples from the decade are Vetta chronographs—including one given to Eugenio Castellotti for winning the 1956 Mille Miglia in a Ferrari 290 MM Scaglietti—as well as pieces from Longines and Zenith.

Ferrari continued to order small-batch custom watches all through the 1960s and early 1970s from future watchpartner Girard-Perregaux, as well as Lemania and Rewel. There are numerous examples of these in private collections and at vintage-watch dealers.

By the mid-1970s, Ferrari (man and company) had struck a deal with Longines. These timepieces leaned toward the mass market as Longines' glory days had long since passed by the '70s. They were, for the most part, a co-branded, collaborative affair. In addition to the commercially available models, il Commendatore continued to commission solid-gold and engraved watches from Longines, giving them out as gifts.

After Longines came a joint venture with Cartier called the Ferrari Formula collection. The deal struck by Enzo Ferrari and the then-president of Cartier, Alain Dominique Perrin, included watches and accessories. And Enzo continued his custom of having private commissions in solid gold made right up to his death in 1988; the last one was for Pope John Paul II.

By the time the Ferrari Formula partnership had run its course, Ferrari—now without Enzo—took a different approach. In 1994, Ferrari struck a deal with Girard-Perregaux. “The partnership between Girard-Perregaux and Ferrari has its origin in the friendship between Luigi Macaluso, at that time president of GP, and Luca [Cordero] di Montezemolo, [then] president [now chairman] of Ferrari,” recounts Macaluso's son, Stefano, now managing director of Girard-Perregaux.

The Girard-Perregaux/Ferrari affiliation lasted a decade, with an extraordinary collection of watches dedicated to legendary Ferraris.

Then, in 2005, it was Panerai's turn. The Panerai effort, officially known as Ferrari Engineered by Officine Panerai, did not go as smoothly as the GP collaboration; five years and 20 or so limited-edition models later, the partnership dissolved.

Without a long-term, high-end watch partner, Ferrari continued its private label mass-market watch efforts—and agreed to an outrageously pricey and incredibly limited-edition (only 60 examples) watch produced by artisan watchmaker Cabestan. The Scuderia Ferrari One by Cabestan, touted as “the most exclusive watch ever to honor automobile racing,” was a one-off project—at $300,000 a pop.

Thanks to its many capricious changes in direction, by the beginning of 2011, Ferrari's track record as a watch licensor was dubious at best. So, when Ferrari's di Montezemolo and Hublot's then-CEO (now-chairman) Jean-Claude Biver announced a comprehensive partnership this past November, the watch world held its collective breath and waited for the first bump in the road—and didn't have to wait long.

Four months later, at the 2012 BaselWorld watch tradeshow, Movado announced its own partnership with Ferrari to produce mass-luxury timepieces (priced under $2,000), to be released in May 2013. However, the Movado watches will be sold in Ferrari stores (that sell lifestyle merchandise, not automobiles) and in select Ferrari dealerships—the latter of which definitely treads on Hublot's turf.

However, Hublot's Biver insists the Hublot and Ferrari partnership goes far beyond watches and that the Movado timepieces are irrelevant. Biver said, “The watch is not the most important part of this partnership. Ours is an 'ambassador partnership,' where Ferrari is an ambassador of Hublot. Ferrari brings awareness, prestige and exclusivity to Hublot in countries where [Hublot] lacks recognition [such as China, where Ferrari has a two-decade foothold]. Ours is a marriage.”

In the interim, Hublot released its first four Ferrari efforts: The super limited edition (20 pieces) 44-mm carbon-fiber Big Bang Chrono Tourbillon Ferrari, replete with a red-tinted sapphire crystal, followed by the 45.5-mm Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold and Big Bang Ferrari Titanium. All three of these eye-catching watches are said to be sold out prior to delivery. The fourth timepiece is a 45-mm titanium skeleton Tourbillon that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO—and it will only be offered to 250 GTO owners.

Biver says, “I do not anticipate any new Ferrari watch models to be released for another 18 months [after the 250 GTO].”